Archive for October, 2010

If you’re a fan of ABC on Thursday nights, chances are you caught last night’s episode of Private Practice. More specifically, chances are you caught the end of last night’s episode of Private Practice.

And, if you didn’t, maybe you should.

Private Practice‘s executive producer Shonda Rhimes (who is also the creator of Grey’s Anatomy) is by far no stranger to tackling tough issues on either show. From alcoholism and drug addiction to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, Rhimes has covered a lot over the years.

However, this season she’s really digging deeper than just an episode or two dealing with a patient or main character. Take Cristina Yang, for example, who’s still struggling with PTSD after the hospital shooting that took place during last season’s finale. (You can read more on last night’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy – another must-see – at the writer’s official blog.)

Of course, Rhimes and her team of writers aren’t leaving out Private Practice.

The November issue of Prevention magazine, which hit newsstands near the beginning of this month, features a must-read interview with former Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany.

For “Dana Delany’s Brave New Day,” Prevention writer Kate Hahn talks with Delany about her new role as Body of Proof‘s neurosurgeon-turned-medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt, her love of yoga, and her abhorrence toward sequins.

Christmas is just a couple months away and if there’s someone on your shopping list who thrives on celebrity tales, Keith Richards’ new autobiography, Life, might be the gift to get.

In Life, which he wrote with British author James Fox, Richards covers everything from growing up in a rough London suburb and finding rescue in American blues to forming The Rolling Stones and his relationship with Mick Jagger.

He also talks about his decade-long heroin addiction, his relationship with Anita Pallenberg, and how he deals with the 1976 death of his infant son.

The 10-time Grammy nominated and four-time Grammy winning Lil Wayne, who’s currently serving time at Rikers Island for 2007 weapons charges, was recently moved to the bing, a.k.a. punitive segregation, a.k.a. solitary confinement as punishment for being in possession of “MP3-playing paraphernalia.”

Last week was a pretty big week for rapper T.I. Not only did the Grammy Award winner work on filming a video and help save a man’s life, but he also received an 11-month prison sentence for a drug-possession arrest which violated the probation he received as part of a plea agreement for past federal gun charges.

T.I., known as Clifford Harris, Jr. to the judicial system, was on his way to a video shoot last Wednesday when he heard a man was threatening to jump off 400 Colony Square, a 22-story building Midtown Atlanta building.

The building happens to be the home of radio station V-103, and after making a quick a phone call to radio personality Ryan Cameron, T.I. showed up at the scene, filmed a different kind of video pleading with the man to not commit suicide, then – when the man came down from the ledge – spent several minutes in the building’s lobby talking with him.

The 2010 Voice Awards took place last Wednesday, and Psych Central’s own Dr. John Grohol was able to attend and do some red carpet schmoozing.

Each year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) presents the Voice Awards (which are just one part of the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery) to recognize realistic portrayals of mental health issues in movies, television, and documentaries. Although nominees represented varying subjects, this year’s overall theme focused on mental health issues in the military.

Among this year’s winners were Army Wives, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Precious, and No Kidding, Me Too!

In case you missed it earlier this week, the NFL piece – NFL Films Presents: The Kicking Game – airs again today at noon. Can’t make it? Tune in for the 10:30 p.m. or even 2:30 a.m. airings.

The Kicking Game, which is “the story of former All-Pro punter Greg Montgomery and a small town mayor who also happens to be a part-time kicking consultant for an NFL team,” isn’t just about a one-time NFL punter who happens to do some consulting here in the present.

It’s also about a human being whose success has flown in the face of the stigma of mental illness.

Montgomery has been quite active in the world of mental health advocacy lately. If you’ll remember, he signed on as the national spokesperson for everyminute.org earlier this year, and most recently spoke at the 7th Annual NAMIWalks in Michigan.

Of course, this kicker has quite a few more irons in the fire…you’ll just have to wait and see.

Richie, who’s dealt with her fair share of public scrutiny over weight and answered it (in the May 2006 issue of Vanity Fair, Richie told the magazine she knew she’d become “too thin” and wouldn’t want any young girls looking at her and saying that’s what they wanted to look like), points out the difference between saying someone is too thin and the irresponsibility of claiming someone has an eating disorder:

I felt it was a little unfair to say someone has an eating disorder when they don’t […] It’s extremely insulting and irresponsible. An eating disorder is serious and it’s a disease. I don’t think you can lightly say someone has a disease unless they are openly telling you that they do.

Of course, it doesn’t seem like Richie has to worry about eating disorder claims these days. The celeb looks fantastic and healthy – something she attributes to motherhood.

And, if you’d like to learn more about eating disorders and so much more, head on over to Weightless, Psych Central’s blog “about well-being, not weight” by Margarita Tartakovsky.

A new, entirely unauthorized Lady Gaga biography hit shelves last month, and although the book makes some pretty serious claims, the topic gaining most buzz is the eating disorder and hospitalization claims made by David Ciemny, her former tour manager.

Still, it’s the supposed eating disorder (and six related hospitalizations) former tour manager David Ciemny is claiming that’s gaining the most attention.

Oh, and this little quote:

When I say she was sick, I mean physically and mentally.

So, even though Magnolia Pictures released the film as a documentary and not a mockumentary, Casey Affleck, one of the masterminds behind Joaquin Phoenix’s I’m Still Here (more specifically, the director), came clean last month during a New York Times interview.